Electrical raslway



(No Model.)

B. .BIDWBLL ELBGTRICAL RAILWAY.

PatentedSept. 23, 1884.

UNITED STATES v FaTnNT @Tirreno BENSON BIDVELL, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

f ELEG-ramal. aAsLvi/Av.

.EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 305,730, dated September 23, 1884.

Application lerl February 1G, 1S84.

To all whom, it 71ml/ concern:

Be it known that I, BENSON BIDWELL, a citi- Zen ot the United States, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Railways, of which the following is a specification.

Figure l is an elevation of so much of a railway and. appurtenances as is necessary to illustrate my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of a slotted tubular conductor and of a traveling contact-brush, an d Fie. 3 is a broken perspective of the same.

My invention has relation to electric railways.

The object oi' this invention is to improve the form of the contact-brush; and the invention consists of constructions and combinations, all as will hereinafter be described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A represents a line of railway, and B a car,which in practice is designed to be furnished with any-suitable form of electromotor in gear with the axles, and from the motor lead the wires or conductors b b.

GC represent the line-wires or conductors, of which there are two, to form a closed metallic circuit for the dynamo or other electric generator, (represented at D, which is located at a central or other station along the line of way. rIhe electric generator D, or as many of them as are used, supplies the conductors C C with the necessary current for operating the eleetromotors on the ears.

In practice the closed circuit of the line or the. generator D is provided with suitable switches to open the circuit whenever desired.

The conductors C C are tubular in cross-section, or are composed of pipesections electrically connected, and have longitudinal slot-s or lceri's c running from end to end of the same. These conductors are mounted upon poles or otherwise supported in proximity to tiret-racks A, with th eir slots @turned downward, as sh own, to prevent dust, snow, rain, &c., accumulating in the bores or on the inside surfaces ofthe conductors, thereby keeping such surfaces clean or in goed condition for obtaining electrical contact therewith. The tubular forma tion of the conductors C C prevent them from sagging when suspended upon poles or when the contact -brushes move along the same.

(Xo model.)

To avoid leakage of current from the outside surfaces of the conductors, they are eXteriorly covered or coated with glass, vulcanized rubber, cement, soft or other rubber tubes, or any suitable non-conducting material, E, as more plainly shown in Figs. 2 and 8.

F F represent the traveling contact-brushes, which are each composed oi'a tubular body or carriage, f, made of met-al and having suitable perforations, in which are inserted tufts or single wiresj". These wires may be of the same length or of different lengths, as. shown, to form an exterior eccentric-shaped brush for the carriage f, which also has a depending guide or flange, f".

Then the carriage j' is made of sheet metal, as illustrated, itsy meeting sides are bent to form said guide or plate j". The brushes F travel along the bores of the conductors C, and the flanges or guides f2 of the former project through the slots c of thelatter. 'The wires j" of brushes F make the contact with the inner surfaces of the conductors to complete the circuit of the latter or the generator D by way of wires b to the electromotor upon the cars, the outer ends of said wires b'being connected to the contact-brush guidesf2 iu any suitable manner.

If iron pipes are employed for the conductors C, their inner or contact surfaces may be lined with a tilm of copper to'obtain increased conductivity for the line-current.

The operation is obvious. The dynamo D and the motors upon the cars being switched into the line-circuit, such motors are set iu motion to propel the car, and as it travels the contact-brushes move therewith to maintain the circuit for the motors and provide for the continuous advance or travel ot' the cars.

In the drawings I have shown provision for utilizing the linecurrent for illuminating purposes 5 but I do not herein claim the same7 as Iintend making it the subject of another application; nor do I claim in this application the broad idea of a metallic line-circuit composed of tubular conductors havinglongitudinal slots and interior contactsuri'aces, said slots being preferably turned downwardly to 'form the ybottoni sides of the' conductor, and combined with a movable brush 5' nor do I claim said conductors provided with an exterior coating or IOO covering of non-conducting material, as these 111:1,tle1'sb1'111 (heSUIUCCE-IIN'LLCL'ot'zmob'lwr al ofnbulzu' com'luctm-s C, lnwing sluts v, mmm plicntion. tactbrushcs F, having guiLlesv/"J, forming pm'lv What l claim s- 01" the tube, and wires j and circuibconluzuil. ln :meleetroul l'aihmy, the combinan i011, tions, substantially as shown und described. 5 with the slotted tubular conductors (v) (l. 0l" .PF @o .y ,T Tv.-

. .f LJID 1111. tubular Contacbbrushes F F, having gmdes Y l j j, forming part 0LI the tube, Substantially :1S \Vit'uesscs: shown. and described. WM. A. REED,

ln un electrical mhmy, the combination IIAORA'LD) N1 Iymrlw. 

